Stress Reliever
by Special Agent Black Storm
Summary: What does Goren do when he's upset or needs to think? And what does Alex do about it? This was written a while ago. [Temporarily on hold. Please advice whether to continute]


Disclaimer: No, I don't own them. I've tried very hard though, I truly have! It just ain't working! I only own any unoriginal characters and settings that don't belong to Special Victims Unit or Criminal Intent. Everything else belongs to Dick Wolf and friends.  
  
Summary: What does Bobby do when he's frustrated? My take on what Bobby's previous partner was like. And what his partner(s) are like now (and who they are)  
  
Please note that everything is very OOC!  
  
Genre: Angst/ Romance (is it possible to put Humor as well?)  
  
Oh! And here is a trademark you will get to know  
  
Enjoy! (LOL)  
  
Oh and please review. You can write flames if you really are that desperate, but they will just be disregarded! Constructive criticism is highly appreciated!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The phones were ringing non-stop in the Major Case Squad Room, even all the lights on the phones were blinking, indicating that every phone line was engaged. The only phones not ringing belonged to Detective Robert Goren and his blonde partner Eames; they were stuck working on a particularly difficult case and didn't need interruptions. Lately, it seemed, they were getting all the harder than normal cases and as challenging as they were, it got annoying every so often.  
  
All in all it was a typical day; full of hectic phone calls, scrawled paperwork and flying briefcases. The two detectives were actually waiting for a call relevant to their case. Alex sat in her chair clicking her pen and as a last resort of boredom, examined her nails. She rarely did this so she was really bored.  
  
Sitting adjacently to her, Goren was sitting; shoulders slumped and his head in his arms, which were now resting on a clear spot on his side of the table near the phone.  
  
Brrrring.  
  
Bobby's phone announced itself with a shrill tinny ring. His head snapped up and his hand shot out for the receiver. He answered and talked for a couple of minutes while nodding and hastily jotting down notes on a piece of paper. Bobby then threw down his pen in frustration and softly yelled into the phone for the other person to just send him a fax with everything on it.  
  
With that, Goren slammed the phone back on its cradle and returned himself to his original position. Apparently, finding that position unsatisfactory, he 'dived' under his desk with his scribbled notes in hand.  
  
Eames, who had stopped her antics of boredom when the phone had rung, watched her partner with a look of confusion and amusement.  
  
But her expression quickly changed to a sombre and concerned one. Bobby had been 'hiding' under his desk a lot lately. She thought to herself the first couple of times that there must have been a trapdoor built into the ground or something of similar effect that her serious partner would find interesting enough to want to keep returning. But upon finding nothing one evening, she decided that the more logical reason was stress. But as far as Alex knew, overtime and paperwork had never frustrated him this much.  
  
Maybe it finally had.  
  
It's not like their workload could be considered light. The fact was it was far from it, but neither Alex nor Bobby wanted it any other way.  
  
Eames was jerked out of her short daydream when she thought she heard someone call her name. She looked around and finding no one had done so, she relaxed.  
  
Involuntarily, she sighed and returned to her thoughts. To her, Bobby Goren was a great guy; a bit annoying, too curious at times, and in need of a lot of patience. Alex had been there providing these things since they were partnered. She didn't have to ask Goren what he was doing to know how he was going to corner a criminal. She just knew; it was like ESP.  
  
The two cops were very similar yet as different as night and day. Bobby was a profiler; he saw things that other cops or people would have missed. He looked at people or objects and could quite literally sum up their purpose and roles, in a crime, if they had one.  
  
There was no doubt that his IQ was very high. Bobby was a perceptible genius; a private sort of guy who, at first glance, didn't appear to have much more of a personal life than a slab of granite. He was a bit tricky to get along with but he got results, which was probably why the FBI had offered him so many jobs. He was also a great guy and friend if you were lucky enough to be able to see through the serious and tough façade.  
  
Alex on the other hand is cool, calm and collected. Forever cracking jokes, she's the more humorous of the two. She's also very smart and is by far more of a people person than her 'isolated' partner. She's the kind of person you would turn to if you needed someone to talk too or needed a shoulder to cry on.  
  
Petite and attractive, she looks nothing like your average female cop; the tough, butch, hard looking type that catch and deal with the worst criminal offenders everyday. No, she's much less terrifying in appearance, but underneath her 'fragile' look, she *is* tough with the same morals as her partner, the same fire, passion and determination to keep the justice alive. She could blend into almost any situation, and get information out of almost everybody. Her ability to charm the pants off any male -- which often got her more answers than her badge -- and Goren's profiling skills were a powerful combination.  
  
Both were rebels who often throw the departmental rulebook out the window, however Alex is Bobby's conscience. It's her who keeps him in line, but she gives him enough of a free reign to do his job while making sure he keeps it. They are both good at understanding the other than anyone else; comforting the other in hard times and joking when it's appropriate.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sighing for the second time, the blonde detective glanced at the now empty seat usually occupied by her dark haired partner. She stood up, stretched, and then walked over to Goren's side of the desk. She knelt in front of Bobby who was still sitting huddled under the table, piece of paper in hand, grumbling like a person who was late for work and had an empty stomach on top of it.  
  
"Bobby, What are you doing?" she asked cautiously.  
  
"I'm sitting, and thinking," Bobby stated as if it were the most obvious thing on the planet. Alex just sighed, it was at times like these that her patience was truly tested.  
  
"Oh. I can see that, but why here and what about?" she pressed, determined to get the answer from him, even if it meant playing a game of twenty thousand questions.  
  
"Come here and I'll explain," he said as he patted the gray carpet next to him.  
  
"Am I going to fit?" Alex asked dubiously. It didn't look as though there was a lot of space, since it was so cluttered with 'I'll-do-it-later' files and papers.  
  
"Sure you are," Bobby replied as he pushed away a pile of files making room for her.  
  
"Alright." Alex dropped down to the ground and slipped into the space next to him.  
  
They sit in silence for a while until curiosity finally gets the better of Eames.  
  
"Well . Why . What?"  
  
Bobby winced.  
  
" You know these case we've been getting lately?" He paused for her nod. "They're a lot tougher and a bit more emotional than they used to be." He pauses again waiting for his partner's response, but receiving only a nod, he continues. " It's harder trying to get these leads and clues to click together. Things are just so slow."  
  
"Bobby, you still haven't explained yourself," Alex prodded gently.  
  
"Sorry but its kind of confusing and weird."  
  
"Fine, just as long as you explain."  
  
"I come down here to think. It gives me the feeling that I can see the world, but it can't see me; so I can toy around with crazy ideas and the world doesn't have to know about it." He pauses before continuing. "Mind you I love my job and colleagues, but I know of a few people who don't approve of my apprehension, profiling or interrogation techniques. Hell, I don't think that even Carver likes them."  
  
"I'm sorry you feel that way Bobby." She now understands Goren's need to get away from the world. She places her head on his shoulder to comfort him, something she wouldn't normally have done, but it just seemed right. She started to talk.  
  
" I mean I love my job as well, and I particularly love my colleagues -- "  
  
'One colleague in particular,' Alex thought before completing what she had to say. "But you shouldn't really give a damn what other people think; especially Carver. He's just a dick-head of a man who's never satisfied. I mean if you weren't known for your techniques, then why the hell are you getting so many job offers from the FBI. My brother is with the Feds, and he gets paid $50,000 a year, and your job offers are like $65,000 per year!"  
  
"Thanks Alex, but I don't think I can believe you." Sighing he glanced at his partners face. The first thing that came to mind were her striking features; prominent cheekbones, sparkling eyes and long lashes. Apart from her petite from, she could have been a model.  
  
'Shit!' He silently cursed. He was surprised that his partner's looks where what hit him first, not her talents as a cop.  
  
It had been a while since Goren had admitted to himself that he was attracted to his partner, but, being the guy he is, Goren could hide his emotions very well. He knew that Deakins had known from the start. The fatherly-figured Captain Deakins never missed a thing.  
  
Bobby rewound his mind back to the day he first met Alex.  
  
*FLASHBACK*  
  
"Goren, in here now!" Deakins had yelled through his door.  
  
Goren did as the Captain ordered and muttered something about being in for it, unnecessarily making a scene and something else that sounded remotely like 'shit' to his partner Elliot Stabler at the time.  
  
He entered the threshold of his superior's office; walls filled with awards, photos and various knick-knacks alike and closed the door behind him.  
  
Robert looked at the Captain, perched on the edge of his desk, looking decidedly uneasy. Deakins coughed uncomfortably, and caught his staring and started to talk.  
  
" Now Goren, I understand you applied for a change of partner. You requested someone." Deakins stopped momentarily as he rustled some papers and extracted the sheet of paper he was looking for. "Here we are -- someone, who is tolerable, smart, calm, logical, and basically practical. Before I go on any further, may I ask what is wrong with Elliot Stabler?"  
  
Goren shifted uncomfortably, "There's nothing actually 'wrong' with him so to speak, but from my observations, he seems to be more interested in the SVU department. He talks about it all the time. I think I could do with someone with little or no experience, maybe I could even teach him a thing or two. I just basically need someone to put up with me on their own will, with their own consent. Because even though we've been working together for months now, I still don't think that Stabler is used to me. Right now, I'm so friggin' confused I'm wondering if I should even be in this job"  
  
Bobby finally completes his long speech. Only to get an earful from his boss.  
  
"I see. I agree and between you and me, Detective Stabler has already applied to fill a vacant spot on SVU. He's to start tomorrow. Your current case will be handed to a colleague. Stabler has assured me that his transfer has nothing to do with you, he just wants to be part of a different type of law enforcement." Pausing to gauge reaction from his detective, and getting none he continued. "You can have the rest of the day off if you want, or you can catch up on paperwork. Your new partner will be commencing work tomorrow."  
  
"Already?"  
  
"Yes. *She* insisted on getting an early start."  
  
"She?"  
  
"Yes, she. Do you have a problem with that detective?"  
  
"No sir. I just expected another guy fresh from the academy that's all."  
  
"Her name is Alexandra Eames, 28 years of age. She comes highly recommended, and has a short but impressive record of accomplishment with Narcotics and VICE. She will be taking Stabler's place here since he'll be taking an opened spot at SVU. She passed through the academy with flying colors. She was decribed by her superior as cool, calm and collected." The captain continued to read her file finally concluding with, "she will be arriving tomorrow, understand?"  
  
"Yes sir. I'll take up the offer of taking the day off. After saying my goodbye to Stabler."  
  
Walking out of the office, Bobby did just that.  
  
"Hey Elliot, the boss says we can have the rest of the day off."  
  
"I know." Elliot hesitated a moment before surging ahead. "I'm transferring to a different department tomorrow. It's not your fault if that's what you're thinking. I really like you and your methods and everything, it's just that I don't think this is the type of law enforcement I want to do. It's going to be all new for me; new partner, boss, office, everything."  
  
"Guess what Stabler. I'm getting a new partner too. It's going to be new for me too. Maybe not *new* new . but still new."  
  
Silence hung in the air. It was Stabler who decided to speak. "You're not offended are you?"  
  
"No just thinking of the coincidences. You're going to SVU right?"  
  
"Yeah, how'd you know?"  
  
"Well apart from the fact that Deakins told me, you hate homicide and if you're not working for Major Case, the only real answer left is Special Victims." Shit! I should not have said that!  
  
"You're good."  
  
"I know. Oh and also, there's this show called Law and Order: SVU on TV it has some guy called Stabler on it too."  
  
"Friggin' Smart-ass"  
  
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Goren shot back good-naturedly knowing full well it was just a joke."  
  
"I don't know if you watch Criminal Intent, but there's this guy called Goren on it, and his partner is Eames."  
  
"No way!"  
  
"Yes way, man."  
  
"Shit, what does she look like?"  
  
"Not going to spoil your fun, even if it isn't coincidental!"  
  
"Fine be that way. Anyway I'm going home now, so maybe we can catch up later when we are both settled in?"  
  
"Yep, that sounds good. Thanks and Good luck Goren!"  
  
"You too!"  
  
"See ya!"  
  
Robert turned himself to head towards the elevators.  
  
"Bobby."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I hear that new partner of yours is a real looker."  
  
Goren groaned. "Whatever."  
  
"Don't say I didn't warn you."  
  
Goren turned his full attention to Stabler again.  
  
"What is that suppose to mean?'  
  
"You know how those chicks are. They're just here for the guns and the badges."  
  
"Hmm . we'll see, we'll see," Goren replied shaking his head ever so slightly whilst concealing a smirk.  
  
"Whatever; anyway, you head off home, we'll catch up some other time."  
  
Final Good-byes were exchanged and Bobby turned to finish his walk to the elevator. 


End file.
